


Community Spirit

by Gaffsie



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Friends With Benefits, M/M, Post-Series, Queer Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-20
Updated: 2013-01-20
Packaged: 2017-11-26 06:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/647355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaffsie/pseuds/Gaffsie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cam's really excited about being a part of the first ever SGC-sanctioned Gay-Straight Alliance. John's less enthused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Community Spirit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluflamingo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluflamingo/gifts).



Cam first noticed the flier on the bulletin board outside the mess hall. He didn't usually pay attention to the notices posted there, because they tended to be aimed at the enlisted men, and with his rank, important information tended to reach him through different means, but the bright yellow paper caught his attention. He stopped in front of the board, the waiting fish sticks momentarily forgotten.

In a bold font, it announced:

**The SGC Gay-Straight Alliance Proudly Invites You To Our First Meeting**

The meeting was later that day, and Cam frowned when he realized that no one had bothered to tell him about it. Then he thought guiltily of the small mountain of paperwork that was waiting for him in his office, and admitted to himself that anything not marked “urgent” tended to get shuffled around to the very bottom of the pile.

He scanned the invite, but it said nothing about only being aimed at enlisted men. Maybe he could go? Or maybe that would freak out everyone else. Cam had a reputation as easy-going, but he still represented “the brass.” A Colonel showing up out of the blue had a tendency to make things awkward for everyone else. He worried his lower lip with his teeth. He did want to go though. He wasn't strictly speaking _out_ , but ever since DADT was repealed it had niggled at him.

Here he was, over 40, and still only a very select few knew that he was bisexual with a strong preference for men. Vala and Sam knew, but he'd never really told Teal'c or Daniel, and his family definitely didn't know. He'd even brought John with him to his last visit home, and his mother had still asked him when he was getting married and sighed over her lack of grandchildren.

On the bottom of the flier, under a brief description of the organization's purpose, there was an email address to the founder. Cam recognized the name immediately. It belonged to one of the infirmary doctors, a woman of his own age, and he happened to know that she was currently on duty. Maybe he wouldn't be allowed in the group, he thought, but at least he'd get a head start on being open about himself. He turned on his foot, making his way to the infirmary, lunch all but forgotten.

As luck would have it, when he got there, the infirmary was almost empty. Just one bed was in use, its occupant sound asleep, and the doctor he was looking for was rummaging through a medicine cabinet, humming softly to herself as she worked.

Cam cleared his throat. “Dr Nielsen?”

She turned to him with a quizzical look behind her blue glasses.

“Colonel Mitchell.”

“Do you have a moment?”

“Sure,” she said.

She wiped her hands on her coat, more as a way to find something to do with her hands than to get rid of dirt, Cam guessed.

He walked over to her. “It's about the meeting tonight.”

She tensed, and lifted her chin. “Is there a problem?”

“No, not at all,” he hastened to reassure her, and once more she relaxed.

Sheepishly, he added. “I was actually wondering if it was okay if I showed up.”

Dr Nielsen smiled. “It's open for everyone. The more the merrier, really.”

“It wouldn't make anyone uncomfortable?” He asked.

She looked thoughtful. “Maybe at first, but that always happen with new groups. As long as you set a good example, it should be okay.”

Noticing his worried look, she added, “If there is any awkwardness, we'll cross that road then.”

“If you're sure,” Cam said.

“I'm sure. And Captain Kowalski is helping me put this together, so you won't be the only officer there.”

“Okay then.”

“Okay then.”

“I'm just gonna-” Cam pointed at the open doorway.

She grinned at him. “Good bye, Colonel. See you tonight.”

He'd made it to the door when she called out for him. “Wait!”

She hurried to his side and thrust another yellow flier into his hand.

“So you won't forget,” she said.

He thanked her, and this time she let him leave. He was retracing his steps back towards the mess hall when he remembered John. Cam had been in his office enough times to know that his in-tray was in no better order than Cam's. Ignoring his grumbling stomach once again, he decided to go to level 25, where John had his office.

Knocking on John's door, he was met by a distracted-sounding, “come in.”

Cam opened the door and was greeted by the sight of John peering suspiciously at his computer screen over the rim of his newly acquired and much maligned reading glasses.

“Hard at work?” Cam asked him and unceremoniously plunked down in John's visitor chair.

John scowled at him and hacked viciously at the keyboard. “It's these damn digital report copies. I keep getting logged out from the network before I have a chance to sign off on them.”

“Maybe if you read a little faster,” Cam said, although, truthfully, he had the same problem.

“That's funny,” John said, the look on his face suggesting that it wasn't very funny at all.

With an irritated huff, he removed his glasses and carelessly tossed them on top of a small pile of acquisition forms.

“What's up?”

Cam smiled at him. It was hard not to find the sight of John stuck in administrative hell endearing, not with the way his hair was ruffled where he'd obviously pulled on it in frustration.

“They're starting an SGC-based Gay-Straight Alliance.”

“Oh, yeah, Lieutenant Coleman told me last week.” John began to half-heartledly rifle through a large pile of papers, presumably in search of the flier.

“Why didn't you tell me about it?”

John rolled his eyes. “I thought you knew already.”

“I just found out today.”

“Huh.” John pulled his hand away from the paper pile, clearly giving the search up as a bad job.

“I'm going,” Cam said, and noting John's surprise, he continued, “and I was wondering if you'd go with me.”

”About that...” John looked uncomfortably at him.

Cam narrowed his eyes.

”Look,” John said, ”I'm not saying that the SGC Gay-Straight Alliance isn't a good idea. It is, and I think it's great that you want to join it.”

“You just have no intention of joining yourself,” Cam said, surprised and a little hurt. It wasn't such a big deal, really, but he still felt disappointed in John. They'd had their little gay alliance of two going on for years, and he'd kind of been hoping that John would have his back in this, the way he always did.

John's mouth twisted into a sharp little smile. “Aren't you going to call me a coward?”

“Some would,” he said easily. “I won't.”

Almost on autopilot, he reached out and grabbed one of the little plastic fighter jet models John kept on his desk. It had always amused him that for all his skills as a rotor pilot, John didn't exactly keep his fixed wing envy hidden. If there ever was a man the F-302s were tailor made for, it was him. Distractedly, he inspected the little plane (a pretty nice rendition of the original F4 Phantom) while he waited for John to gather his thoughts.

“It's not about coming out,” John finally said. “Although, that would be a bitch to explain considering that I'm a bisexual guy who's only had one sexual relationship with a man in the last ten years. I know how these groups operate – 'bi erasure' I think it's called?” He lifted one sardonic eyebrow at Cam, who inclined his head; _point taken_.

Sighing, John continued. “Twenty years ago, when I was just a dumb kid who didn't know what the fuck was wrong with me, I would have joined. Hell, even ten years ago, I would have joined. Now? Now I've come to terms with myself, and I already have a community. “

“Damn,” Cam said drily, “that's down right poignant.”

“Ass.” He worried his thumbnail with his teeth. “Maybe that's selfish of me, not wanting to be some kind of poster boy for the SGC GLAAD chapter-”

“Hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure if anyone's gonna be the pretty face of this society, it's going to be me.”

John grimaced. “My point is, I don't feel like it's for me. I don't want to hang out with a bunch of twenty-something marines just because we all happen to like dick.”

“Maybe it's not about that,” Cam suggested. “Maybe it's about what you could contribute.”

John gave an incredulous laugh. “Yeah, I'm sure they'll find it real inspiring to hear me talk about how I spent my twenties mostly dating women and then occasionally getting sucked off by guys when I was on tour.”

“Don't forget the part about you being an antisocial asshole,” Cam said sarcastically.

“Yeah, there's that too.” He made a face that suggested he'd just sucked on a lemon. “I'm just too old for this shit, Cam. Not to put a too fine a point on it, but I just want to be who I am, with people who accept me for who I am, and I already have that.”

Gently, Cam said, “You're not on Atlantis any more.”

“No shit,” he said sarcastically, spreading his arms as to encompass the splendor of his nondescript bunker of an office, before sinking back in his chair like a deflated balloon.

Quietly, he said,“they're still my family.”

“I get that,” Cam said, and he really did. SG1 was effectively disbanded at this point. With Daniel off translating his little geek heart out on Atlantis and Sam having her own command to worry about, while Teal'c spent most of his time working with the free Jaffa, it left only him and Vala at the SGC, but he was still close with all of them. Like a second family.

Looking intently at the model plane, Cam confessed,“it's just, there are things I don't tell my family.”

John gave him a kind look. And, yeah, that was obviously something Mr Estranged From His Family would know all about.

Catching his mood, John hurried to say, “hey, no, I'm not saying you shouldn't join. This isn't some _macho_ thing. The way you talk about it, it sounds perfect for you.”

He groaned theatrically. “You know, between the way you and Teyla look at me sometimes, you'd think that I had no idea about basic human interaction.”

Cam snorted, because, well, yeah.

“Human interaction _good_ ,” he intoned, “sharing with like minded people, _good_ , making friends, _good_.”

He shook his head and smiled at Cam. “You have my blessing, really. It's just not for me, not right now.”

“Well, if you ever change your mind...” Cam said. Carefully, he placed the little plane where he'd found it. He pulled out the cheerfully yellow flier from his pocket and handed it to John, who accepted it gracefully.

“Need any help spreading the word? I have a briefing in an hour, and I'd be happy to do a little PR for you guys.”

“That would be great.” Cam said, and stood. It wasn't really what he'd wanted when he came looking for John, but it was enough. For now at least.

“By the way, are we still on for tonight?” John asked.

Cam smirked. “That depends. I might just trade you in for a hot twenty-something marine while I'm there.”

John raised both his eyebrows in that smarmy way of his. “So, I'll definitely see you at nine then,” he said.

“Yeah,” Cam said. “And it's your turn to bring the beer.”

“It's a date,” John said. “Now get out of here. Some of us have work to do.”

Cam left. After all, there were some fish sticks with his name on them waiting for him in the mess hall.

END

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2013 SG Flyboys exchange.


End file.
